The Future - A Community Right to Build Order for a Redeveloped Hall The trustees of Freshford Village Memorial Hall, and their supporting development sub-committee have prepared a Community Right to Build Order (CRtB order) to fulfil their vision to enhance, modernise and extend the existing Freshford Village Memorial Hall facility to provide a welcoming and attractive multi-purpose focus for local community activity complementing its outstanding rural setting. The intention is to embark upon a phased programme to be carried out over the next 5 years, incorporating refurbishment of the existing village hall building, with extensions to provide a separate doctor’s surgery and dedicated pre-school space. This project will significantly improve and ensure the long term viability of a building which acts as the community hub for the villages of Freshford and Limpley Stoke. Latest Update May 2020: Examination of the Community Right to Build Order The Order has now been reviewed by an independent examiner appointed by B&NES Council, and the examiner has recommended that the Order should proceed to referendum as modified, based on her recommendation to impose conditions. The examiner's report can be view here: The trustees are now waiting to hear the timetable for the referendum, which will formally confirm the community's support for the Order, and provide formal 'planning permission'. Background A Community Right to Build Order (CRtB Order) Submission is comparable to a Planning Application, but with two key differences:
The Freshford Village Memorial Hall’s Community Right to Build Order proposes development of land at Freshford Village Memorial Hall, Freshford Lane, Freshford, Bath, BA2 7UR. The proposed development is to enhance, modernise and extend the existing Freshford Village Memorial Hall facility to provide a welcoming and attractive multi-purpose focus for local community activity complementing its outstanding rural setting. The proposed development will incorporate purpose-built doctor's surgery and Pre-school extensions to the existing refurbished main hall and meeting room accommodation. Consultation The process of developing plans to modernise and extend the hall began in 2011 and has been an important aspect of the Freshford and Limpley Stoke Neighbourhood plan that was adopted by Bath and North East Somerset Council in 2015. Extensive formal and informal consultation has been conducted throughout the life of the development project, covering statutory bodies, the local community and other interested parties. The Trustees have used a variety of approaches to engage the residents of the local community including professionally facilitated workshops as well as newsletters, posters and online information sharing. As a result, community responses to the formal consultation exercise held in 2018 were overwhelmingly supportive. The few issues of concern that were raised related to car-parking provision, appearance of the proposed 'front porch' and the development’s general ‘fit’ within the village and its immediate surroundings. Bath and NE Somerset Council made some further observations particularly in relation to the development's character, appearance and impact on the Green Belt, the impact on the trees forming the western boundary and the ecological network, and Highway safety and car parking that the Trustees have addressed in the final CRtBO submission. The Trustees would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2018 consultation – their input has helped improve the development plans for Freshford Village Memorial hall and will result in a modernised building that will benefit the entire community Final Community Right to Build Order Documentation Site Location Plan (Updated October 2019) Proposed Site Plan (Updated October 2019) Proposed Landscape Plan (Updated October 2019) Tree Replacement Plan (Updated October 2019) Ecology Report (Updated November 2018) Arboricultural Report, Assessment and Constraints Plan (Revised July 2018) Arboricultural Impact Assessment and Constraints Plan (Issued January 2019) Transport Statement (updated November 2018) Drainage Report (August 2016) Formal Consultation on the Community Right to Build Order The formal B&NES consultation on the Community Right to Build order ran from 3rd September to 15th October 2019. The Order was given the following planning application reference number: 19/03783/CRBO. You can view the feedback received on the B&NES Planning website. The Trustees prepared a clarification statement in response to the issues raised by the B&NES Highways, Landscape, Arboricultural and Ecology Officers. An updated Tree Replacement Plan was also prepared increasing the number of replacement trees to 17. The car parking layout was redesigned to provide all 19 spaces with a 6m manoeuvring area, a widened pedestrian access route to the Hall and surgery and covered cycle parking. B&NES determined that a further period of consultation was required on this additional information before the draft Order could be passed to an Independent Examiner for consideration. This additional consultation ran from the 6th of November until the 18th of December 2019. |
